La Casa Azul | Frida Kahlo Museum

I
recently got my film developed from a trip I took to México with my
family in February, 2018. Our first couple days of the trip was mainly
in laCiudad de México (México City) and
it ended with visiting both sides of the family. How we managed to
visit three states in a week was beyond me. Nonetheless it was an
unforgettable experience I will never forget.

On our first full day in México City, we went to the famous Casa Azul or the Frida Kahlo Museum. We waited in line for less than an hour when one of the employees offered a package deal for the the Anahuacalli Museum and the Frida Kahlo Musuem. It was a weekend package deal that offered entry to both museums and included round trip transportation. This allowed us immediate entry to the Frida Kahlo Museum and we walked around for a while until we had to get on the bus that took us to the Anahuacalli Museum. Although we didn't get to see the whole museum before getting onto the bus, they kindly allowed us re-entry after our visit to the Anahuacalli Museum.

Frida Kahlo, or Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderón was born on July 6, 1907 and grew up in her parents' house known today as the Caza Azul (Blue House). At the age of six, Frida contracted polio which caused her right leg to remain shorter than the other.

At the age of 18, on September 7, 1925, a streetcar crashed into the bus she was on. Frida's spinal cord was damaged and several bones were fractured. During the months she was immobilized, she began to paint.

In 1929, Frida married the muralist Diego Rivera. They lived in different places in México City and abroad but always returned to the Casa Azul. In 1939, Frida divorced Diego due to his infidelities but remarried a year later.

At the end of her life, her health began to deteriorate and Frida Kahlo died at the Casa Azul on July 13, 1954. The house was made a museum in 1958, four years after her death.

"Every tick-tock is a second of life that passes by, that flees never to
repeat itself. And it holds such intensity, such interest that the only
problem is knowing how to live. May each person solve it as best they
can.”- Frida Kahlo

Walking through the house that Frida grew up in was such a surreal moment. The museum preserves many of her personal objects as well as some of her most popular paintings. Although they do allow photographs inside the house (for an extra fee), I decided to opt out. I wanted to take it all in and not have to worry about taking pictures of everything.

Today Frida Kahlo is a cultural icon and an inspiration to many. I find it inspirational that she was so full of creativity and optimism despite the many hurdles she overcame throughout her life. It makes me a proud Mexicana to see people from all over the world come to the Casa Azul to learn more about Frida Kahlo.